Pioneering school finance model reaches new communities as part of a strategic partnership to bring education financing to underserved regions

IDP Foundation, Inc. (IDPF) and Opportunity International jointly announce a new partnership to expand the Rising Schools Program into the Northern Regions of Ghana. Together, the two organizations will launch a revolving fund dedicated to school lending designed to bring affordable school improvement loans and school management training to affordable non-state schools serving rural and underserved communities across Northern Ghana.  In Northern Ghana, the average school fees of affordable non-state schools are even lower than the national average of $65 per term, reflecting the significant economic constraints facing families and school owners in the region.

This partnership marks a significant milestone in IDPF's seventeen-year commitment to making quality education accessible to children in low-income communities across Sub-Saharan Africa and reflects Opportunity International's longstanding expertise in delivering financial solutions to communities that traditional lenders overlook.

"Northern Ghana represents an important frontier for the Rising Schools model," said Corina Gardner, CEO of IDP Foundation. "Over 3,700 low-fee private schools are estimated to operate across the five northern regions of Ghana, yet access to affordable financing remains out of reach for the vast majority of them. USAID committed to bridging this gap many years back, but unfortunately, just as work was getting started it was cancelled. We are picking up where they left off, but with a more market-driven approach."

"We are proud to partner with IDP Foundation on this important initiative reflecting OI's commitment to financial inclusion, education, and reaching underserved communities in Northern Ghana. Opportunity's EduFinance programs have demonstrated that appropriately structured school finance can unlock growth and quality improvements in schools serving low-income communities. By partnering with IDP Foundation, we're using catalytic financing to reduce risk for local lenders and expand access to capital for affordable private schools, helping more children in Northern Ghana access a quality education closer to home." said Andrew McCusker, Head of Education Finance of Opportunity International.

Addressing a Critical Gap

Affordable non-state schools in Northern Ghana play a vital complementary role in expanding education access, particularly in areas where public school provision is limited or overcrowded. Yet these schools continue to face significant structural, financial, and quality challenges. Interest rates from local lenders range from 23% to 40% per year, collateral requirements are out of reach for most school owners, and few financial institutions maintain dedicated education lending portfolios.

This revolving school lending fund directly addresses these barriers by working with a local financial institution (FI), Bessfa Rural Bank, to design tailored loan products for affordable non-state schools, making available debt capital and school-level credit guarantees to unlock school improvement loans for an initial 30 schools. As schools build their track record of responsible borrowing, the program creates a pathway for FIs to become more sophisticated, with each loan product providing better terms, larger amounts and longer tenors as schools demonstrate their ability to manage debt responsibly.

Capacity Building for First-Time Borrowers

IDPF and Opportunity International are combining access to finance with hands-on capacity building, recognising that for many schools entering formal financing for the first time, practical support can make a meaningful difference.  Opportunity International will coordinate a one-week training program for target schools using IDPF's Proprietor Training Manual (PTM), a nine-module curriculum covering financial literacy, school administration, and management best practices developed in partnership with Sinapi Aba Savings & Loans and refined over more than seventeen years of program delivery.

Building a Pipeline for Scale

Beyond the immediate pilot, the partnership will develop a pipeline of investment-ready schools in the region through School Leadership Academy workshops, identifying schools that are positioned to take on financing and grow sustainably. All evidence and learnings from the pilot will be documented to inform a broader expansion of the Rising Schools Program across Northern Ghana in partnership with the Ministry of Education and its agencies.

"Opportunity International shares our commitment to reaching the schools and communities that have been left behind by traditional finance," said Gardner. "Together, we are laying the groundwork for something much bigger."